Members of the Twentieth Century Club met at the Flying O Ranch, the lovely Ore City residence of member Mrs. Ed Orms on Nov. 1. Following the welcoming remarks by President Jean Hamil and invocation by Betty Finney, members responded to the roll call by completing the phrase “The first Presidential election I voted in was.......”. Responses ranged from Eisenhower in the 1950s to George W. Bush in 2004. Letters of thanks were read by Corresponding Secretary Jeannie Smith from collegiate scholarship recipients, the Backpack Program and the Upshur County Museum.

Float Committee Chairman Cal Arnold announced that the club will be participating in the Yulefest Parade on November 29 and lights will need to be added to the float. She also thanked her committee and other members who worked on the Yamboree Float.

In preparation for upcoming holiday events, Project Chairman Sandy Dean reminded members of the Home Tour and Bake Sale on December 6. The Bake Sale will be conducted at the office of Joe Newsome, who is a Home Tour participant, during Tour hours of 3-6 p.m. Members also drew names for the ornament exchange held during the annual club Christmas party on Dec. 20.

At the conclusion of the business meeting, Yearbook Chairman Tami Moler introduced State Representative Bryan Hughes who provided a very informative presentation on the upcoming legislative agenda in Texas. Due to redistricting, Rep. Hughes will no longer be representing Upshur County. He was unopposed in his new district for the November election. In addition, he is running for Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives so, if selected, will be representing all Texans.

He discussed the issues the legislature will be addressing which are primarily education, transportation, public safety, and funding. Since the state constitution requires a balanced budget, tax issues are always at the forefront because increasing funding requires an increase in taxes. Rep. Hughes attributes the ability of Texas to escape most of the recession that the rest of the country has been experiencing for the past several years to low corporate tax rates which have enabled Texas to attract businesses trying to escape high taxes in other states.

This, in turn, keeps Texans employed which is reflected in our low unemployment rate. He also mentioned that an average of 1200 people move into the state from other states on a daily basis. Members of the club questioned Rep. Hughes about some of the decisions that must be made regarding water shortages in the future and what the situation was with the Keystone XL pipeline.

In conclusion, Rep. Hughes encouraged members to vote no matter what their party affiliation stressing how fortunate we are to live in a country with so much freedom and, in particular, the freedom of speech. He expressed his love for our state and our country and vowed to be a good steward in the upcoming legislative session which begins on Jan. 8 and continues for 140 days.